What Was The Amount Of The First Stimulus Check

Total Stimulus To Claim On Tax Return

If you havent received both stimulus payments, you qualify for up to $1,800 in recovery rebate credit or $3,600 if filing a joint return. For the different AGI levels, here is how much you could qualify if your AGI is between $75,000 and $99.000 or $150,000 to $198,000 for joint filers).

Single Filers

How Can I Check My Stimulus Check Status

The IRS has created a website where you can check the status of your stimulus payment.

The Get My Payment tool is no longer updating for either the first or second stimulus check. However, you can use it to see the status of your third check.

• If your payment has been processed. the IRS will specify its status including whether it has been sent, the date issued, and whether the money will be directly deposited or mailed.
• If your status reads “Payment Not Available.” The IRS either hasn’t yet processed your payment or you aren’t eligible for one.
• If it reads “Need More Information.” Your check was returned to the IRS after an attempted delivery. Give the IRS your bank information to receive your money.

If you did not get your first or second check, you’ll need to file a 2020 tax return to get the payment.

How Does That Work

Technically, the money is an advance of a refundable credit on your 2020 return. A refundable credit is a tax benefit you can take advantage of even if you do not owe any tax. If you qualify to claim it, any money that isnt needed to pay down your tax liability is refunded to you. Basically, the stimulus payments are advance refunds based on your 2020 income.

If youre confused, thats understandable it is confusing. Obviously, no one can be sure how much youre going to earn in 2020. Thats why the IRS is basing how much youre due off prior year tax returns. When you file your 2020 return, the IRS will compare what you received this year for the credit with what you qualify for based on your 2020 income.

If you should have received a payment and didnt, or if you should have received more than you did, you will receive additional money. If the numbers on your 2020 tax return suggest you got more than you should have, you wont have to pay it back. Considering most peoples incomes dont flucutate too much from year to year, most everyone should receive the right amount the first go-around.

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Americans Who Didnt Receive The Full Stimulus Amount That They Were Entitled To

If you received a payment but you dont think it was as much as it shouldve been, you should claim your Recovery Rebate Credit.

Americans should first think back to what they were eligible for from both rounds of stimulus payments. Individuals earning up to $75,000 in adjustable gross income were eligible for the full $1,200 payment in March and the second $600 payment from late December and early January. Married couples earning up to $150,000 were eligible for payments twice that size. Those earners were also eligible for an extra $500 and $600 for every dependent claimed on their taxes.

After that, payments phased out by $5 per every $100 over those income thresholds. This is probably where it gets a bit trickier.

Because the first stimulus check was larger, payments phased out at a later point on the income scale than they did for the second round. Reduced $1,200 checks went out to individuals who made up to $99,000 a year and married couples who earned up to $198,000. In the second round, individuals and married filers were eligible for a partial check up until earning $87,000 and $174,000, respectively.

Its important to calculate first for yourself how much youre owed. Then, compare that with official documents from the IRS showing your stimulus check amount. Those can include the letter accompanying your payment, as well as another special form, Notice 1444 or Notice 1444-B, which most likely came with your first check earlier in 2020.

How Will The Stimulus Checks Affect My Taxes

The IRS doesnt consider your stimulus checks taxable income. So you will not have to report them on your tax return or pay income taxes for them.

If you are an eligible recipient who didnt get the first or second stimulus check, you can claim a recovery rebate credit to increase your tax refund or lower your tax liability.

This means that if you expect to get money back on your 2020 tax return, you could get a bigger refund depending on how much stimulus money you are owed. And comparatively, if you have to pay a tax bill, you can use the recovery rebate credit to offset it and get a refund for the remaining amount.

Taxpayers this year will look to their tax refunds as another source of extra money during the pandemic. In 2020, the IRS paid out more than $2,500 for the average tax refund. This year, it is expecting over 150 million tax returns to be filed.

The 2021 tax season starts on February 12. You will have to file your 2020 tax return by April 15.

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What If I Get Government Benefits Will These Payments Count Against Eligibility Or Unemployment Insurance

Economic Impact Payments dont count against means-tested programs like SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid. The payments are not counted as income during the month they are received and the following month and they are not counted as a resource for 12 months.

You will receive the check regardless of your employment status. The check will not impact your eligibility for unemployment payments.

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How Many Stimulus Checks Did Americans Get

In total, Americans received three stimulus checks since 2020.

The first round of checks was authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, that President Donald Trump signed on March 27, 2020.

The payments for the first checks were $1,200 per person, or $2,400 for those filing jointly, plus $500 per qualifying child.

In December 2020, the second round of stimulus checks was sent out as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act.

The payments for the second checks were $600 per person, or $1,200 for married individuals, plus $600 for each qualifying child.

One year following the first checks, the third round of stimulus checks was sent out earlier in March under the American Rescue Plan.

The payments for the third checks was $1,400 per person, or $2,800 for married couples, plus an additional $1,400 per eligible child.

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What Is The Stimulus Check

As part of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, the federal government will issue payments – by check or direct deposit – to millions of income-qualified Americans. This is what we mean by “stimulus check.” The purpose of the payments is to help people cover basic necessities at a time when many have been told to stay home and have lost income.

How To Get An Expired Treasury Check Reissued By The Irs

The U.S. Department of the Treasury issues checks authorized by federal agencies for payment of benefits or, in the case of the Internal Revenue Service, tax refunds and stimulus checks. If you go a long time without cashing your Treasury check, youll find that banks will not accept the expired check for cashing or deposit.

Although the U.S. Treasury issues the checks, you must apply to the authorizing agency to reissue the expired IRS refund check or expired stimulus check. The IRS authorizes the Treasury to send a replacement check.

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Youre A Member Of A Mixed

Under the CARES Act, U.S. adults with a Social Security number werent eligible for a stimulus check if they were in a mixed-status household, meaning one partner was undocumented or didnt have an SSN. A recent law change, however, scraps that rule. Now, individuals would be able to receive both payments retroactively meaning both the first and second stimulus payment for the taxpayers and qualifying children of the family who have work-eligible SSNs.

Youll want to reconcile that first amount with your Recovery Rebate Credit, if you didnt receive it.

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Is There A Deadline To Get My Stimulus Check

All first stimulus checks were issued by December 31, 2020. If you are missing your stimulus check or didnt get the full amount that you are eligible for, you can claim your first stimulus check as the Recovery Rebate Tax Credit on your 2020 tax return or use GetCTC.org if you dont have a filing requirement. You must use GetCTC.org

If youre required to file taxes:

The deadline to file your 2020 tax return was May 17, 2021. The tax filing extension deadline is October 15, 2021. Many tax filing software programs close after this date. If you can find an online tax filing program that is still accepting 2020 tax returns, you can file a tax return to get your stimulus checks even though the deadline has passed.

If you dont owe taxes, there is no penalty for filing late. If you owe taxes, you may be subject to penalties and fines for not filing or not paying taxes. The government may reduce your tax refund to pay for any taxes you owe and other federal and state debts.

To learn more about your options if you think you owe taxes, read Filing Past Due Tax Returns and What to Do if I Owe Taxes but Cant Pay Them.

If youre not required to file taxes:

Tax Tip Tuesday: How To Check The Status Of Your Refund Or Stimulus Check

If youve had problems with your mail, or you moved without updating your address, you may have missed stimulus checks or tax refunds from the IRS. Heres how to request a replacement from the IRS if you missed a payment you were expecting.

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You Had A Lifestyle Change In 2020 That Wasnt Reflected In Your 2019 Taxes

A lot can change in a year, and its very possible the IRS didnt have enough up-to-date information accurately reflecting your financial situation.

A few circumstances that could qualify you for more money: You had a baby in 2020, or adopted or fostered a child. Less common, say you share joint custody with a child but only rotate that responsibility every other year. You might be eligible for extra money by filing for a credit, and there are instances when your former spouse might pocket extra money as well.

Say I filed with Susie Q. in 2019 and I got the stimulus checks for that child, and then my divorced spouse filed with Susie Q. for 2020. She would get the Recovery Rebate Credit as well, says Mark Jaeger, director of tax development at TaxAct. Its a little bit of double dipping, but it is something that is allowed.

Additionally, maybe you got married or divorced. Perhaps you graduated college and started working, meaning youre no longer considered a dependent. And, as is likely the case for millions of Americans, perhaps you had a higher-paying job in 2019 but lost that position in 2020. Even individuals who were working in 2019 but retired in 2020 could be eligible for the credit.

These are just a sampling of circumstances that might mean youre eligible for a stimulus check or a higher amount.

Theres a lot of reasons why you may be due more that are all legitimate, Steber says. Its real money, and its a lot of money.

How Will I Receive It

To promote social distancing and get the money in the hands of Americans as fast as possible, the federal government prefers to send the payments via direct deposit. Going the direct deposit route allows you to receive your payment much quicker.

If you dont have a direct deposit option, however, other solutions are available. Paper checks will be sent if necessary.

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I Get Ssi Should I Spend The Stimulus Money Within A Year What Can I Spend It On

Spend down your CARES Act EIP money before 12 months have passed since receiving the payment. You are not limited in what you can spend the money on. You can spend down on whatever you wish, including on gifts and charitable contributions. If you don’t spend it within 12 months, the Social Security Administration will count the money as a resource.

How Much Money Was Given By The Government For Stimulus Checks

Garry S. 10:31 AM, January 30th

Many, if not all of us have heard about the government stimulus check. With the recent buzz around the concept itself, there has been a dramatic rise in the demand for stimulus checks. Therefore, this article will examine the true essence of the stimulus check and all the aspects that accompany it.

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Who’s Eligible For The Latest Stimulus Check

THERE is certain criteria that must be met in order to claim your third stimulus check.

You could be entitled to a payment if the following is true:

• You are not a dependent of another taxpayer
• You have a Social Security number valid for employment

Your adjusted gross income must also not exceed:

• $160,000 if married and filing a joint return
• $120,000 if filing as head of household or
• $80,000 for single applicants

The latest round of cash begin to be phased out for individual tax payers who earn $75,000 a year.

But once you hit the $80,000 annual gross income limit, you won’t be able eligible for the help at all.

How Can I Get Help Completing Getctcorg

All first stimulus checks were issued by December 31, 2020. If you didnt get your first stimulus check in 2020 or didnt get the full amount you are eligible for and you dont have a filing requirement, you can use GetCTC.org. GetCTC has a chat box that you can use to communicate with an IRS-certified volunteer to help you complete the form. GetCTC.org is available through November 15, 2021.

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How Many Stimulus Checks Did Americans Receive

• Jennifer Roback

• Invalid Date,

MANY AMERICANS suffered financially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In order to help Americans during the financial difficulties resulting from the pandemic, the government sent out stimulus checks.

Read our stimulus checks live blog for the latest updates on Covid-19 relief

When To Request A Payment Trace

If the Get My Payment tool says that your third stimulus payment was issued as a direct deposit into your bank account, you should first check with your bank before submitting a payment trace request to make sure they didnt get a deposit. But wait at least five days after the estimated delivery date. Otherwise, the bank might not have the necessary information. After five days, you can request a payment trace if the bank still hasnt received your payment.

If you were scheduled to get a third-round paper stimulus check in the mail, the IRS cant initiate a payment trace unless it has been:

• Four weeks since the check was mailed to a standard address
• Six weeks since the check was mailed if you have a forwarding address on file with the local post office or
• Nine weeks since the check was mailed to a foreign address.

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